The film was released to great critical praise. It was famously nominated for thirteen Academy Awards, making it as the Oscar most-nominated Disney-film. Although it was favored highly to win the Best Picture award in 1965, it lost the award to My Fair Lady, another musical film. Nevertheless, it still managed to win five awards out of thirteen, most notably Best Actress for Julie Andrews for her portrayal as Mary.

In 2006 the film ranked #6 on the American Film Institute's list of best musicals. It also has one of the larger parts of The Great Movie Ride, having both a poster in the "lobby" of the "theater" (the station) and a scene with an animatronic Mary and Bert. It is largely considered as the greatest Disney live-action movie.

Contents

Plot

Mary Poppins shown sitting on a cloud at the beginning of the film

The film opens with a shot of Mary Poppins touching up her makeup as she perches on a cloud high above 1910London. The action then descends to Earth where Bert, a cockney jack-of-all-trades, introduces the audience to the Banks, a well-to-do but troubled family headed by the rather cold and aloof George and his loving but highly distracted wife, Winifred. Their latest nanny, Katie Nanna, has just quit out of exasperation at the indiscipline of their children, Jane and Michael, a fact that Winifred only belatedly becomes aware of, due to her ongoing preoccupation with suffragette rallies.

Upon learning of the situation, George decides to take a personal hand in the hiring of a replacement nanny and insists on a stern authoritarian type to control the children. However, they take it upon themselves to draft an advertisement for a fun person who would not be a tyrant. He rejects their proposal, tears up their ad, and throws it in the fireplace. The pieces magically fly up the chimney for Mary to piece together and read.

The next day there is a long line of old (and thoroughly disagreeable, in the children's opinion) nanny candidates waiting at the Banks' door. However, a strong gust of wind literally blows them away while Mary flies down with her umbrella to apply. The interview with George goes quickly when he is stunned to see this calmly defiant new nanny has responded to the children's ad (rather than his own) despite the fact that he destroyed it. As he tries to fathom this mystery, she hires herself and begins work.

One of the most famous screenshots of the film: Mary Poppins with the robin in "A Spoonful of Sugar". Unfortunately, an American robin was used for the film instead of an English one.

The children face surprises of their own as they discover that Mary's method of arrival is only the beginning of her magical talents. With songs and magic, numerous wondrously impossible things happen starting with her bottomless carpetbag, and her making the nursery tidy itself to the tune of "A Spoonful of Sugar." The magic continues with a wondrous outing that begins by literally jumping into a chalk pavement drawing with Bert, and later having tea while suspended in midair with Mary's joking Uncle Albert, who floats uncontrollably whenever he laughs.

George grows increasingly uncomfortable with the children's stories of their adventures and how they are enchanted by Mary. However, she effortlessly inverts his attempted dismissal of her services into a plan to take the children with him to the bank where he works. Unfortunately, the occasion takes a disastrous turn when Mr. Dawes Sr., George's extremely elderly boss, personally tries to persuade Michael to invest his money, which he intends to use to buy food from a local Bird Woman, to the point of stealing it out of his hand. When he loudly protests, the other customers suddenly panic and start a bank run that forces it to suspend business. In the resulting chaos, the children flee in fear, wander into the slums of the East End, and become lost. Fortunately, they literally run into Bert, currently employed as a chimney sweep. He takes them safely home while explaining that the incident at the bank does not mean their father hates them, but rather is a sign of the fact that he has preoccupying problems of his own.

Upon arrival at the Banks' house, a departing Winifred asks Bert to watch the children until she gets home as it's Mary's day off, where he ends up sweeping the chimney while they watch. Mary arrives back to caution them about the hazards of that activity. However, they are sucked up the chimney to the roof. Bert and Mary follow to retrieve them. Taking advantage of the situation, they lead a military-style tour of the rooftops of London that concludes with a joyfully energetic dance with Bert's chimney sweep colleagues as they demonstrate their acrobatic skill to the music of "Step in Time." A volley of fireworks from the Banks' eccentric neighbor, Admiral Boom, sends them back down the chimney into the house.

George arrives home, forcing Mary and Bert to conclude the festivities. He then receives a phone call from work ordering him to return immediately to disciplinary action. As he gathers his strength to face his superiors, Bert points out that while he does need to make a living, his offspring's childhood will come and go in a blink of an eye, and as a father, he needs to be there for them while he can. After Bert leaves, a despondent Michael comes and gives him the money he refused to give Mr. Dawes Sr. earlier that day, in hopes that it will make everything all right. A somber and thoughtful George proceeds to the bank where he is fired in the most humiliating way possible for causing the first run on there since 1773. However, after being left at a loss for words when ordered to give a statement about his dismissal, he realizes the true priorities of life and gleefully uses Mary's all purpose word, "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", to tweak Mr. Dawes Sr. He then tells him one of Uncle Albert's jokes and raucously departs to the amazement of his ex-colleagues. Mr. Dawes Sr. mulls over the joke, finally "gets it", and floats up into the air, laughing.

The next morning, the wind has changed and to the children's sorrow, Mary must depart. However, George, now loving and joyful, reappears after a long night's disappearance with an amended kite for the children and an urge to play with his family. Winifred also realizes that she's been neglectful of the children, and supplies a tail for the kite, using one of her suffragette sashes. They all leave the house without a backward glance as Mary watches from a window in one of the lower levels. In the park with other kite-flyers, George meets Mr. Dawes Jr. who says that his father literally died laughing at the joke. Instead of mournful, he is delighted that his father died happy and rehires George to fill the sudden opening. With her work done, Mary takes to the air, returning to the clouds with a farewell from Bert.

"Chim Chim Cher-ee" - Performed several times with different lyrics by Dick Van Dyke; also performed by Van Dyke with Julie Andrews, Karen Dotrice, and Matthew Garber (won the Academy Award for Best Original Song)

Closing credits theme - Includes an instrumental reprise of "A Spoonful of Sugar" followed by a choral reprise of "Let's Go Fly a Kite".

Deleted songs

A number of other songs were written for the film by the Sherman Brothers and either rejected or cut for time. Richard, on the 2004 DVD release, indicated that more than 30 songs were written at various stages of the film's development. No cast recordings of any of these songs have been released to the public, only demos or later performances were done by the songwriters - with the exception of the rooftop reprise of "Chim-Chim-Cheree" and the "smoke staircase yodel" mentioned below.

"The Chimpanzoo", was originally to follow "I Love to Laugh" during the "ceiling tea party" sequence, but it was dropped from the soundtrack just before Julie Andrews and company were to record it. The fast-paced number was not unveiled to the public until Richard Sherman, aided by recently uncovered storyboards, performed it on the 2004 DVD edition. The recreation suggests it was to have been another sequence combining animation and live action. It was supposed to follow the adventures of Jane and Michael during a late night visit to the zoo.

"Practically Perfect" was intended to introduce Mary but instead the melody of the piece was used for "Sister Suffragette" (used to introduce Winifred). A different song with the same name was written for the stage musical.

"The Eyes of Love", a romantic ballad, was intended for Bert and Mary, but according to Richard Sherman, Julie Andrews suggested privately to Disney that this song was not suitable. In response, "A Spoonful of Sugar" was written.

"Mary Poppins Melody" was to be performed when Mary introduces herself to the children. Elements of the song later became part of "Stay Awake". The melody was the basis for a couple of other songs that were ultimately cut from the film.

"A Name's a Name". Heard on a recording taken of a meeting between the Sherman Brothers and P.L. Travers, this song was originally intended for the nursery scene that later became "A Spoonful of Sugar." The melody was reused for "Mary Poppins Melody".

"You Think, You Blink" was a short piece that Bert was to sing just before entering the chalk painting (and starting the "Jolly Holiday" sequence). In the film, Dick Van Dyke simply recites the lyric instead of singing it.

"West Wind" was a short ballad to be sung by Mary. The song was later retitled "Mon Amour Perdu" and used in the later Disney film, Big Red.

"Measure Up" was to accompany the scene in which Mary takes the tape measure to Jane and Michael.

"Admiral Boom" was to be the theme song for the cannon-firing neighbor of the Banks house, but it was cut by Walt Disney as being unnecessary. The melody of the song remains in the film, and the bombastic theme is heard whenever Boom appears onscreen. One line from this song ("The whole world takes its time from Greenwich, but Greenwich, they say, takes its time from Admiral Boom!") is spoken by Bert early in the film.

"Sticks, Paper and Strings" was an early version of "Let's Go Fly a Kite."

"Lead the Righteous Life", an intentionally poorly-written hymn, was to have been sung by Katie Nanna along with Jane and Michael prior to Mary's arrival. The melody was later reused for a similar song in The Happiest Millionaire

"The Pearly Song" was not deleted per se but was instead incorporated into "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious".

The Compass Sequence, a precursor to "Jolly Holiday", was to be a multiple-song sequence. A number of possible musical components have been identified:

"South Sea Island Symphony"

"Chinese Festival Song"

"Tim-buc-too" - elements of this were reused for "The Chimpanzoo" which was also cut

"Tiki Town" - the melody was reused for "The Chimpanzoo"

"North Pole Polka"

"Land of Sand" - later rewritten as "Trust in Me" for the animated version of The Jungle Book

"East is East" - another variation on the unused "Mary Poppins Melody".

Deleted scores and music

The "Step in Time" sequence ends with the chimney sweeps being scattered by an onslaught of fireworks fired from Admiral Boom's house. In the final film, the scene plays out with sound effects and no music. The DVD release included the original version of the scene which was accompanied by a complex instrumental musical arrangement that combined "Step in Time", the "Admiral Boom" melody (see above), and "A Spoonful of Sugar". This musical arrangement can be heard on the film's original soundtrack.

Andrews recorded a brief reprise of "Chim-Chim-Cheree" which was to have accompanied Mary, Bert, and the children as they marched across the rooftops of London (an instrumental reprise of "A Spoonful of Sugar" was used as a march instead; however, Andrews and Dick Van Dyke can still be seen and heard singing a reprise of "Chim-Chim-Cheree" in that sequence, just before the other chimney sweeps appear for the "Step in Time" number).

The robin Mary Poppins whistles within "A Spoonful of Sugar" originally sang a lyric as well.

Andrews also recorded a brief yodel which breaks into the first line of "A Spoonful of Sugar" which was to have been used to "activate" the smoke staircase prior to the "Step in Time" number. Although cut from the film, footage of Andrews performing this exists and was included on the 2004 DVD. The DVD also indicates that an alternate version of the yodel performed by Dick Van Dyke may also exist.

Awards and honors

Academy Awards

The film received 13 Academy Awards nominations and won 5 awards.[2] This makes Mary Poppins the most Oscar-nominated Disney film in history.

Home video releases

The film was first released in the Early 1980's on VHS and laserdisc. In 1994, 1997 and 1999, it was re-released three times as part of the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection. In 1998, it became Disney's first DVD. In 2000, it was released on VHS and DVD as part of the Gold Classic Collection. In 2004, it had a 2-Disc DVD release in a Digitally Restored 40th Anniversary Edition. On January 27, 2009, it was released on DVD again as a 45th-anniversary edition, with more language tracks and special features. A 50th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray was released in December 2013.

Sequel

Disney has just announced a sequel to the film, which takes place 20 years after the first one. It will be a musical and it will focus on Mary's continued adventure with the Banks family.[1]